Understand how the US blockade causes blackouts in Cuba

On Sunday (17), many protests took place in the province of Santiago de Cuba (on the east side of the country) against the prolonged and repeated power cuts, which reached over six hours per day. Its context is marked by a serious economic and energy crisis the island has long been facing.

The situation was aggravated by record high temperatures in Cuba, which has increased the need for energy.

Protesters also complained about the lack and delays in the distribution of the so-called canasta familiar normada (basic-needs grocery package), a food distribution system through which the state subsidizes prices. Considerably cheaper than the grocery packages available at markets, it aims to guarantee food security for the Cuban population.

The canasta familiar normada has been dealing with delays in the delivery of many of the products it includes, since a big part of them need to be imported. The Sunday protests in Santiago, Cuba's second-largest city, were particularly related to delays in milk delivery.

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Dialoguing with protesters

During the protests, many of the province's officials met with the protesters to hear from them about their demands, in addition to talking to them. Beatriz Jhonson Urrutia, former governor and current secretary of the Cuban Communist Party in Santiago, was one of them.

In a video on social media, Urrutia said the dialog happened in a "respectful manner" and that she "listened carefully to the information provided". She also stressed that the authorities are aware of the "damages to the national electricity system caused by the problems faced by thermoelectric power plants and the availability of fuel."

#SantiagoDeCuba pic.twitter.com/3MDonv8k1G

— Beatriz Johnson Urrutia (@BeatrizJUrrutia) March 18, 2024

Similarly, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel posted a series of messages on his official account on X (formerly Twitter) reinforcing the government's disposition to "address our people's demands, listen, talk and explain about the many measures being taken to improve the situation."

"Amid the conditions [imposed] by the US blockade, which intends to suffocate us, we will continue to work in peace to get out of this situation," he concluded.

Three times more expensive

Consulted by Brasil de Fato, Alejandro Lopéz, an electrical engineer and specialist at the state-owned Cuban company Unión Eléctrica, argues that the country's problems in the energy sector "cannot be understood without taking into account the illegal blockade that Washington has maintained against the island for decades."

"A big part of the fuel the country consumes is imported. We're talking about essential supplies for energy production, but also for transportation and agriculture. It is very difficult for the state to import fuel. As the blockade means that every ship that enters a Cuban port is sanctioned by the US government, shipping companies generally can't operate in Cuba. And if they do, it's always at costs well above the international price," he explains.

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It is estimated that energy imports cost the Cuban state up to three times more than the average international price. Therefore, on the one hand, the country's economy is directly affected, causing the Cuban state to lose substantial resources. On the other hand, sanctions against shipping companies make it very difficult to guarantee a constant flow of freight. As a result, there are ongoing problems with supplies.

In addition to the abovementioned problems, all of the country's thermal power plants have old machinery, some of which have over 30 years of use. As a result, it is relatively easy for them to break down, reducing energy distribution to the country.

"Both maintenance and renewal of parts or machinery are very expensive. On the one hand, the blockade restricts the possibilities of accessing funding for these investments. For example, Cuba cannot access international financial markets. At the same time, the import of spare parts – which, in itself, involves large investments – is even more expensive because of the blockade."

Solidarity blackouts

Due to the country's energy deficit, the Cuban government is planning a series of "solidarity blackouts" (scheduled power cuts) to save energy. These blackouts are established in each province. They divide the region into "blocks" where "solidarity blackouts" alternate for weeks. These energy shortages last longer outside Havana, Cuba's capital city.

Alejandro López explains that each province maps places considered as priorities (such as hospitals or residences of vulnerable people due to diseases/age, people who cannot be without electricity) that cannot be affected by blackouts.

At the same time, Cuba maintains a system of heavy energy subsidies, both for companies (including private companies) and domestic consumption, which accounts for around 65% of the total. In 2023, the cost of energy for the state was almost eight times higher than that paid by consumers.

Foreign interference

During the protests, the US Embassy in Havana made a public statement "urging" Cuban authorities to "respect [protesters'] human rights." The statement insinuated that the Cuban government does not respect human rights.

In response, on Monday morning (18), the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs called a meeting with the US Embassy authorities to convey its "firm rejection of interference" due to the "slanderous messages from the US government and its embassy in Cuba about Cuba's internal affairs."

The Cuban authorities pointed out that, according to the rules of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomatic missions should not issue opinions on the internal politics of the country in which they are located, something the US Embassy in Cuba systematically violates.

The Cuban authorities also emphasized that "direct responsibility" for the "shortages and difficulties the population faces daily" lies mainly with the illegal economic blockade maintained by the United States against Cuba. The Caribbean state accuses Washington of "limiting and obstructing all the Cuban state's efforts to find solutions and provide answers to the country's economic and social needs."

The UN General Assembly first addressed the US blockade against Cuba in 1992. Since then and every year, the General Assembly has voted by an overwhelming majority to end the blockade, a series of measures that interrupt the normal development of Cuba's economy and directly interfere with the daily lives of Cubans. However, year after year, Washington has ignored this demand from the international community.

According to the most recent document the UN General Assembly approved by 187 votes, with Ukraine abstaining and only the United States and Israel voting against, the blockade generated a loss of US$13 million per day for the Cuban state last year alone.